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The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

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The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Early Roman Religion. Played an important role in Roman society Beginning with Augustus, emperors were often declared gods Romans worship many gods & goddesses (polytheism) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Page 1: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

The Rise of Christianity

in the Roman Empire

Page 2: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Early Roman Religion• Played an important role in Roman

society• Beginning with Augustus, emperors were

often declared gods• Romans worship many gods &

goddesses (polytheism)• Romans believed that observing proper

rituals brought them into a proper relationship with the gods in order to guarantee peace and prosperity

• Roman Worship of Gods:– Impersonal– Practiced without a great deal of emotion

Page 3: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

• CA 63 BCE—Roman Empire extends to Judea (Home of the Jews)– Jewish kingdom remained

independent at first, • 6 CE—Roman Empire took total

control and made Judea a Roman province

• Jews believed the Messiah would arrive to restore kingdom of the Jews

Roman Conquest of Judea

Page 4: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth

Page 5: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth• Historians believe he was born

between 6 to 4 BCE in town of Bethlehem, Judea

• Raised in the village of Nazareth in Northern Palestine

• Baptized by prophet John the Baptist

• Carpenter by trade• Public Ministry—began at the age of

30

Page 6: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus of Nazareth• Jesus:

– reportedly performed miracles, preached, did good works

• Teachings: – Contained many ideas from Jewish tradition

• Monotheism—belief in one god• Principles of the Ten Commandments• Emphasized:

– God’s personal relationship to each human being– Stressed importance of people’s love for God,

themselves, neighbors, and even enemies– God would end wickedness in the world and

establish an eternal kingdom after death for those who genuinely repented their sins.

Page 7: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus’ Death• Popularity of Jesus concerned Jewish &

Roman leaders– 29 CE—Jesus visited Jerusalem

• He was greeted as the Messiah (King of the Jews)—the one who would rescue the Jews

• Chief Jewish Priests—– the Sanhedrin (Group of Jewish elders) denied Jesus

was the Messiah & accused him of blasphemy—contempt for God

– Both the Sanhedrin & Roman officials worried Jesus’ popularity would cause the Jews to revolt against the Romans

– Pontius Pilate—accused Jesus of defying authority of Rome

– Jesus was arrested, sentenced to death by crucifixion—the nailing of a person to a wooden cross to die

Page 8: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus’ Death• Jesus’ body placed in a tomb

following his death• According to the Gospels, 3 days

later, his body was gone, & a living Jesus appeared to his followers.

• Jesus’ assent to heaven (as written in the Gospels) convinced followers Jesus was the Messiah

• Jesus—known as Jesus Christ, Christos is a Greek word meaning “messiah” or “savior”

• Christianity derived from Christ

Page 9: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Support for Christianity Grows• Historical records mention little of

Jesus• Main source of information

regarding Christianity are found in the Gospels, the first 4 books of the New Testament of the Bible.– Gospels written by Jesus' followers

(called disciples / pupils)– 12 Disciples later known as Apostles

Page 10: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jesus Becomes a Celebrity• Popularity for Christianity grows

due to:– Jesus became popular as he traveled

from town to town– Messages:

• appealed especially to the poor (he ignored wealth and status)

• Simple and direct—people touched by messages (easily understood)

Page 11: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Christianity Spreads Throughout the Empire

Followers of Jesus inspired by his ‘triumph over death’

• Created a new religion based upon his message

• First followers of Jesus were Jews, his teachings did NOT contradict Jewish teachings

• Followers create new religion, Christianity

Page 12: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Christianity Spreads Throughout the Empire

• Despite political & religious opposition, Christianity Spreads throughout the Roman Empire

• Paul—a Jew who was originally an enemy of Christianity

• Vision: saw a vision of Christ (he never met him personally) in Damascus, Syria and spent the life spreading & interpreting Christ’s teachings

Page 13: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Christianity Spreads Throughout the Empire

Pax Romana—made spreading of Christianity possible because:– Provided an era in which travel &

exchange of ideas was relatively safe– Roman Road System—enabled Christ’s

message to spread throughout the Roman Empire

– Common Languages—Greek & Latin allowed Christ’s messages to be easily understood

Page 14: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Imperial Roman Road System

Page 15: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

St. Paul: Apostle to the

Gentiles

Page 16: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Paul’s Teachings• He stressed the following:

– Jesus was the son of God– Jesus died for people’s sins– Christianity would welcome all

converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew)• Universality enables Christianity to

become more than a local religion

Page 17: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

The Rise of Christianity

Page 18: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

The Empire in Crisis: 3c

Page 19: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Jewish Revolt• 66 CE—band of Jews revolt against

Roman rule• 70 CE—Romans stormed Jerusalem and

destroy Temple Complex, leaving only western portion of the wall (Jew’s holiest shrine)

• 73 CE—about a ½ million Jews killed by Romans

• 132 CE—Jews make second attempt at revolt, another ½ million Jews killed– Jewish political state ceased to exist (Romans

exact complete control)– Jewish religion survived, though many driven

into exile (dispersal of Jews called Diaspora)

Page 20: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Persecution of the Christians• Christians refused to worship Roman

gods & goddesses– Refusal seen as an opposition to

Roman rules & laws– Roman rulers used Christians as

scapegoats for political & economic problems within the Roman Empire

Page 21: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Persecution of the Christians• Refusal to worship Roman deities

resulted in the following:– Christians were imprisoned, exiled, or

executed– Thousands crucified, burned, or killed by

wild animals in circus arenas • Many Christians (and some non-

Christians) regarded persecuted Christians as martyrs—those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief or a cause.

Page 22: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Persecution of the Christians

(Left) Picture of St. Ignatius being thrown to the Lions in Rome. (He was a Christian martyr)

Page 23: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

A Worldly Religion

• Despite persecution of its followers, Christianity’s popularity increased

• By late 3rd Century CE, there were millions of Christians within & beyond Roman Empire

Page 24: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

A Worldly Religion• Popularity of Christianity due to:

–Embraced all people—men, women, slaves, poor, nobles

–Gave hope to powerless–Appealed to those who were

repelled by the extravagances of Imperial Rome

–Offered personal relationship with God

–Promised eternal life after death

Page 25: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

The Spread of Christianity

Page 26: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Diocletian Splits the Empire in Two: 294

CE

Page 27: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Diocletian: From Persecution to Semi-

toleration

• Diocletian was the last major emperor to enforce persecution of Christians

• He soon realized that Christianity was too powerful to be destroyed by force

Page 28: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantine: 312 - 337

Constantine was the 1st Christian Emperor

Page 29: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantine Accepts Christianity

• 312 CE—Constantine fighting rivals for control of Rome– Marched to the Tiber River at Rome to

battle his chief rival.– Day before Battle of Milvian Bridge,

Constantine prayed for divine help—reportedly saw an image of a cross (The Symbol of Christianity)

– Ordered artisans to paint Christian cross on his soldiers’ shields & attributed success to help from the Christian God

Page 30: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantine Accepts Christianity

• 313 CE—Constantine orders persecution of Jews to cease

• Edict of Milan—declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the Emperor

• 380 CE—Emperor Theodosius declares Christianity the official religion of Roman Empire

Page 31: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantine & Christianity• Disagreements increase between

Christian leaders about beliefs & teachings– Church leaders accused people of heresy—

any belief that appeared to contradict the basic teachings of Christ

– Church leaders solidify teachings in the Old Testament (included Epistles of Paul, First 4 Gospels, & other documents)• Added to the Hebrew Bible—Christians call these

teachings the Old Testament• Constantine orders further consolidation

of Christian teachings & calls to order Church leaders at the Council of Nicaea in Anatolia– Nicaea Creed written—contains the basic

beliefs of the Church

Page 32: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Christian Hierarchy

Patriarch

Archdiocese/Archbishop

Bishop/Diocese

Priest/Parish

Pope

Page 33: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantine Moves the Roman Capital

• Constantine divides the Roman Empire into two:– East—Constantinople– West—Rome– After Constantine, Roman empire

continued to be divided into two regions = west and east/ Rome = capital of west, Constantinople = capital of east

Page 34: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantinople: The “New Rome”

Page 35: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Constantinople: “The 2nd Rome” (Founded in 330)

Page 36: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Byzantium:The Eastern Roman

Empire

Page 37: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Eastern Roman Empire

Page 38: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Augustine of Hippo• A “Father of the Church”—one of the

many early scholars & writers who were influential in defining Church teachings

• 396 CE—became bishop of the city of Hippo in North Africa

• His teachings included:– Humans needed grace of God to be saved– Humans only receive God’s grace if they

belonged to Church and received sacraments– City of God—wrote the fate of cities such as

Rome (wrote after the fall of Rome) not important because heavenly city of God would never be destroyed, unlike Rome after it was sacked by the Barbarians


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